About James Earl Jones

An esteemed actor with an extensive career, James Earl Jones has an estimated net worth of $45 million. Born in Arkabutla, Mississippi, James was raised by his maternal grandparents when his father left shortly after he was born. At the age of five, he moved to his grandparents’ farm in Jackson, Michigan, which was so traumatic that he developed a stutter that lasted until his high school English teacher helped him overcome it.

Jones attended the University of Michigan for pre-med, but over the course of his studies, realized that he preferred acting to medicine. He served a stint in the military as a US Army Ranger before finally moving to New York to study in the American Theatre Wing. Since his 1957 Broadway debut, James Earl Jones has won multiple awards, including a Tony Award and Academy Award for his role in Great White Hope. He is perhaps most widely known as the voice of Darth Vader in the Star Wars films.